Danbury, Jack beat Trumbull

Updated 12:43 am, Friday, January 4, 2013

TRUMBULL -- An excited home crowd, Alumni Night, and the No. 1-ranked wrestling team in the state staring at you across the mat.

There was plenty of excitement in the gymnasium Thursday night for Trumbull senior Brandon Liscinsky and his Eagles teammates.

And despite dropping the first three matches in an eventual 47-15 loss, Liscinsky was determined to put up a fight against Danbury star junior Kevin Jack, who was bumped up a weight class to 126 pounds.

The first period featured a number of shots from Jack that ended up in handfuls of air and Liscinsky backing out of the circle.

The second period started with a quick escape by Jack to score the first point of the match, and then both wrestlers were unable to find any openings until Liscinsky earned a takedown seconds before the buzzer to take a 2-1 lead.

Jack earned his first takedown with 1:10 left in the third period when he was able to keep his feet in the circle as the referee awarded him the points. Liscinsky escaped 10 seconds later to tie the match and the score stayed tied at 3-3 until the end of regulation.

"We were both tired at the end," Jack said.

Jack found enough energy, however, when he struck 44 seconds into overtime on a takedown to earn a 5-3 decision. After shaking hands, both exhausted wrestlers found a space against opposite facing walls in the gym to rest.

"I wish I would have taken more shots," said Liscinsky, who is now 14-2 and recently earned his 100th career win. "He's a good wrestler and we know they are a good team."

Jack, the defending FCIAC, Class LL and State Open champion at 106, knows that he will get the best effort from opponents this season.

"I just need to keep attacking," said Jack , who improved to 11-0. "I was pretty tired at the end."

Danbury took the next two matches with major decisions from Frank Callace at 132 and Zach Tepper at 138 to stretch the lead to 26-0.

"We had some guys hurt and sick, but we know there's no excuses," said Trumbull coach Niko Filippakis, who took over for Charlie Anderson this season, although Anderson remains with the program as an assistant. "The season isn't a sprint. It's a marathon and we know what matters is being ready for the LLs and State Open."

The Eagles return to action on Saturday when they host the Trumbull Duals.

Danbury will not have much time to recover, since it's traveling to Sanford, Maine, Friday to battle in the two-day Spartan Wrestling Tournament against some of the top teams in New England, including Timberlane, N.H., and Cumberland, R.I.

"We need a wake-up call," Danbury coach Ricky Shook said. "We are out of shape and some of these guys think it's a joke."